Stolen puppy found at Mission Safeway, heading home safe

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Update: James, the puppy stolen out from under the nose of his loving owners, was found in the care of another woman who bought him for $200.

A woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said she bought the pup outside of the Safeway on Mission Street. She brought the puppy to her mother’s house, where her mom recognized James as the stolen puppy she’d seen on the news.

The woman who bought James promptly returned him to the SPCA in San Francisco. He’ll be reunited with his intended owners later this afternoon. End of update.

Photo courtesy of SF SPCA

They aren’t cat burglars, but a couple allegedly stole an 8-week-old puppy Tuesday from the San Francisco SPCA.

Surveillance video from the SPCA’s adoption center in the Mission District filmed the couple, described as a Latino man and woman in their mid-30s, stealing the light brown-and-white, mixed-breed puppy named James at about 3:45 p.m.

The man was about 5-foot-7 and heavy-set, with spiky black hair and a short beard, the SPCA said. The woman was about 5-foot-6 with dark hair.

The couple were accompanied by a dark-haired boy, about 4 to 6 years old, and drove off in an older white sedan, possibly a Honda Accord or Toyota Camry.

James was scheduled to go home with an adoptive family Tuesday night. The SPCA is offering a $500 for his return. The puppy has been neutered and inserted with a microchip.